Chapter Text
Tenna woke up with a barely audible gasp.
It was the same dream - the same nightmare. The roaring knight came in at his lowest of moments, with the smallest embers of hope. Cutting his arms off and breaking him. He sighed as his screen went from dimmed darkness to a soft light, staring at the ceiling….the…yellowish red ceiling? Did Ralsei change it to make it match more with TV World? He'd compliment him for his dedication in making everyone comfortable, but before the thought could fully form, he felt a tug on the blanket from his right side. When he turned, all that greeted him was a head of black hair and pale white skin showing from under the covers.
The sight had something settle strangely inside him. He dared to look.
Spamton. His Spamton. Sleeping right there next to him. Next to him?! He sat up fully, looking around in quick, sharp movements. It was all...familiar yet completely wrong - his bed in Castle Town wasn't this large for starters. He recognised the room but not the objects inside it, not fully, what light his screen gave off revealed photo frames scattered about with pictures he didn't remember taking and a cradle with a heating blanket lovingly hugging a pipis. Why was Spamton here? Why was his pipis...what happened? Tenna pat himself down - everything seemed to be right. It was still him, his body, his mind, but...no, something strange is most certainly going on. Is he still dreaming?
He heard a groan, "Tenna...? What's wrong?" Spamton said as he sat up on the bed. "Another late night inspiration?"
Tenna stared at him for a very long moment, the blankets pooling around the other to reveal his obviously pregnant stomach. He stumbled back and practically fell out the bed. No. No, if this was a dream, he would not be feeling so... It was wrong, he could get out of his head how wrong everything felt. If this wasn't real but it wasn't just the past, then what the hell was it?! For once, he felt like he was at a loss for words, half phrases stumbling out his mouth but making no coherent sentence. "I...n...no. I need. Air."
"Tenna?" Spamton rubbed his eyes, trying to blink away his grogginess. "You okay, starlight?"
"No," he mumbles, already turning away from him to walk towards the door. "This is...you're not...it's wrong..."
"...Tenna," He slid off the bed and walked towards him, reaching out for his hand with clear worry on his face, "did you have a nightmare?"
His hand flinches away, pressing against his chest the second they make contact. There's a horribly confusing mix of emotions inside him looking down at Spamton. The fact that it looks like him and sounds like him messes with the clear logic that it can't possibly be him. He feels bad being angry at a guy clearly pregnant though... "I-I just. Need to check...something..."
Spamton's mouth opens as if to say something but he seems to be so confused that nothing comes out. "...I'll wait for ya?"
Tenna stares for a few more seconds, not really giving him a response of any kind before finally grabbing the doorknob and stepping out. He needs to figure out where he is and when...then he can decide if he needs to start panicking. More than he already is. The hallway from there to the kitchen was also filled with pictures of the two of them, smiling so genuinely, so in love, and the kitchen was the same. Cosy little decorations, trinkets here and there, and clearly Tenna's own handwriting on the calendar hanging on the wall with what looked like a food plan for Spamton's pregnancy. The lettering stares him down. It can't be real and yet...what is all of this? Why is he here and why is it all so... He steps back, walking over to sit on the couch. Should he ask this Spamton-who-isn't-quite-Spamton about it? Would he really know anything? He can't possibly pretend everything's fine, it's going to be obvious he doesn't remember things he should at some point. He feels numb with a horrifying confusion.
He heard a creaking in the floorboard behind him, Spamton was standing in the doorway. "...I couldn't wait. Sorry." That...was a first. Spamton immediately apologising for invading his promised privacy. "Tenna, are you okay?" He walked closer, putting one hand on his shoulder while holding his stomach with the other.
Tenna looked back at him. He wasn't sure if he liked the differences or not. He leaned forward onto his hands. "...really...not."
After a moment, a gentle little kiss was pressed to his screen, the other pulling away and returning a minute later with a cup of warm honey water. "Here."
He stared down at the cup for some time, quiet as he tried to consider...what his options even are at this point. Maybe he's freaking out too much and this really is just some dream, but then shouldn't he have woken up already? What if this is a case of sudden spontaneous amnesia? Is that really that far-fetched? "I...I store memories, somewhere in me...right?"
"That's out of nowhere," Spamton raised an eyebrow, "I mean...I'm code, mine are stored somewhere, you must have yours stored somewhere too."
He hums, clasping his hands together. That has to be the only explanation, right? That something in him is fried? He can't just have spontaneously hopped dimensions or something unless this is all some elaborate illusion created by who knows what for who knows why! "Would you be able to have a look? There has to be a...a chip or. Something." Plug himself in to something and look?
"...sure...but let's go to bed now? It's late, and the doc said no stress, ya know." He laughed nervously.
"...right." No stress. Not when he's...gosh, that's his baby, isn't it? Can he even tell this Spamton about any of this then? Sure, it's Spamton but...he seems...happy. He downs the honey water and stands, gently pulling on his antenna to ground himself. He's not even sure he'll really get any sleep.
The other takes hold of his arm, leaning into him with a smile as they walk back. The closer they got, the clearer it became that a little noise was coming from the bedroom. Spamton sighed fondly. "Ah. You leave her for a few moments and she's already fussy..." The pipis was chirping. Something stabbed his insides, had he ever heard those little chirps before? This all seemed so ideal, like what he never got to have. That, too, hurts. He steps closer to the cradle, hesitantly reaching out to gently run his fingers over the pipis. So foreign yet so familiar. It chirped in joy, making Spamton chuckle, "Already spoiled by dada...or is it papa? Personally...I'll call you daddy."
Tenna glanced at him. The slight bit of sleaziness he used to find so charming. So familiar. But it was all wrong. "...don't say that in front of her or she'll pick it up." He finds himself saying, ever so carefully lifting the pipis into his arms.
"Haha, she hasn't hatched yet." He leaned in closer to be able to gaze at the pipis as well. "You didn't mind making another one right beside her."
"I suppose..." He frowned to himself. Really, this isn't the worst thing that could happen to him, he just feels out of place. Because, well...he's really not meant to be here, is he? "Do you know when she'll...hatch?"
"It's hard to say...I think she's just a late bloomer." He caressed the shell with a gentle chuckle. "Maybe a few days, maybe a few weeks...I mean, a TV and an ad, you have to give her some grace period. I mean, Kay Belle took years to hatch. You just never know with these things."
Tenna's hand stopped. There's...there's a third? And they're already... He steps back, sitting on the bed with the pipis still in his arms. He really shouldn't be here, he feels like he's tearing apart a family. He can't pretend forever but now he feels like he can't tell this Spamton even more...!
He heard the other sigh, sitting beside him. "...I'm not gonna press...so let's just go to sleep, yeah? Whatever you have going on, we'll figure it out." A hand was placed atop his own, their matching wedding rings shining by the light of his screen. It made him feel sick.
"...yeah. Sleep. Okay." He takes a deep breath in, slowly standing to put the pipis back into its cradle.
Spamton pulled himself to the head of the bed, laying down and opening his arms for Tenna to come cuddle with a smile. Something inside says that he shouldn't but...it's been much too long. He lays down, gently pulling this Spamton closer. Kisses were peppered over his screen. "Now be a good boob tube and warm me up."
Tenna pulled the blanket up to cover the other's shoulders, holding him as if he were fragile. He got a little satisfied sigh in return.
"Hm...g'night, starlight."
"...goodnight...Spamton."
He felt the hold on him tighten. And he woke up. Back in Castle Town.